‘My heart goes out to everyone:’ Welaka deals with heavy flooding after Milton

WELAKA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton brought a lot of flooding to our area, and Putnam County saw some of the worst of it.

Several communities still have more than a foot of water in their streets – including the Town of Welaka.

“It’s heart wrenching,” neighbor Jeremy Avner said.

“It’s insane, my heart goes out to everyone who lives down here,” Jeremy’s wife, Santana said.

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Hurricane Milton swept across Florida and brought more than 15 inches of rain to the little Town of Welaka. So much water, the St. Johns River flooded the Sportsman Harbor neighborhood.

“I actually evacuated to Jacksonville, and I never evacuated in my life, I’m a Florida native and I’ve always ridden out every storm,” Sportsman Harbor resident Kim Clarke said.

Robert and Kim Clarke didn’t want to risk the damage that was expected.

Luckily, they said they didn’t lose power or water. But they are left dealing with no sewer and flooded streets.

“Wakes are bad thing right now,” Kim said.

It’s so difficult for people to go in and out of their homes that they have to use smaller vehicles like side-by-sides to travel.

The Clarkes said the deepest point in their neighborhood is at around 26 inches of water.

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“We’re expecting this to get higher than Ian, so we’ll see,” Robert said.

Our Action News Jax First Alert Weather team said the King Tide is expected to bring more flooding with the highest tide at full moon next Thursday. The team said it will probably be another two weeks before it crests.

The Clarkes plan to hunker down this time.

“I think our house is high enough, I think we’ll be okay,” Kim said. “You live on the water; you learn how to deal with it.”

It helps when you have a community who comes together to lend a hand.

“Our town is wonderful,” Kim said. “We called one friend and next thing you know we have 10 people here.”

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neighbors helped add the weight it needed for the vessel to go through the flooded streets.

“It’s a family here,” Jeremy said. “At any point in time, someone’s willing to help if it’s something very simple.”

The Putnam County Emergency Management team said they have completed their damage assessment for about 50 homes. They have 550 left because they have to wait until neighborhood flooding recedes.

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